Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., gestures as she speaks to supporters after being projected the winner in her Senate race against Calry Fiorina, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

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With her husband, Frank by her side, Carly Fiorina thanked her supporters at a campaign office in Irvine Wednesday morning as supporters and media gathered in side the small shopping center office. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Carly Fiorina and conceded defeat as she conceded defeat at her campaign office in Irvine Wednesday morning, losing her bid for the U.S. Senate to Barbara Boxer. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Carly Fiorina hugs a supporter outside her campaign office in Irvine Wednesday morning following a speech conceding defeat for her bid for the U.S.Senate to Barbara Boxer. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Carly Fiorina thanks a campaign workers outside her campaign office in Irvine Wednesday morning following her concession speech. She lost her bid for the U.S.Senate to Barbara Boxer. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Carly Fiorina, with her husband, Frank, waves goodbye after speaking at a small campaign office in a shopping center in Irvine, Wednesday morning. She lost her bid for the U.S.Senate to Barbara Boxer. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina waves to supporters. "We're in a dead heat", Fiorina proclaimed to hundreds of supporters at the California Republican Party Victory 2010 Election Night at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. Various news agencies projected that Sen. Barbara Boxer will be elected for a 4th term. LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina, still not conceding defeat, "We're in a dead heat", Fiorina proclaimed to hundreds of supporters at the California Republican Party Victory 2010 Election Night at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. Various news agencies projected that Sen. Barbara Boxer will be elected for a 4th term. LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY

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Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.,gestures as she speaks to supporters after being projected the winner in her Senate race against Calry Fiorina, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010, in Los Angeles. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

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U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina, still not conceding defeat, "We're in a dead heat", Fiorina proclaimed to hundreds of supporters at the California Republican Party Victory 2010 Election Night at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. Various news agencies projected that Sen. Barbara Boxer will be elected for a 4th term. LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY

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U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina, still not conceding defeat, "We're in a dead heat", Fiorina proclaimed to hundreds of supporters at the California Republican Party Victory 2010 Election Night at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. Various news agencies projected that Sen. Barbara Boxer will be elected for a 4th term. LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY

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U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina waves to supporters. "We're in a dead heat", Fiorina proclaimed to hundreds of supporters at the California Republican Party Victory 2010 Election Night at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. Various news agencies projected that Sen. Barbara Boxer will be elected for a 4th term. LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina, still not conceding defeat, "We're in a dead heat", Fiorina proclaimed to hundreds of supporters at the California Republican Party Victory 2010 Election Night at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. Various news agencies projected that Sen. Barbara Boxer will be elected for a 4th term. LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY

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U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina high-fives a supporter at the California Republican Party Victory 2010 Election Night at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. With the race still too close to call Fiorina is not conceding defeat. "We in a dead heat", proclaimed Fiorina. LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina, at right, shakes hands with supporters at the California Republican Party Victory 2010 Election Night at the Hyatt Regency Irvine. With the race still too close to call Fiorina is not conceding defeat. "We in a dead heat", proclaimed Fiorina. LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Democrat Barbara Boxer survived the strongest challenge of her political career Tuesday, with Republican challenger Carly Fiorina conceding Wednesday morning.

CNN, The Associated Press, The Los Angeles Times and The Sacramento Bee already declared Tuesday evening that Boxer had won a fourth term in the Senate, helping to ensure that Democrats maintained control of the upper house of Congress.

“No surprise,” said Democratic supporter Jeff LeTourneau, 54, of Brea after hearing that TV news projected a win for Boxer. “I really thought Barbara would be fine all along.”

Fiorina, after mulling overnight, finally admitted defeat.

“This has been a great ride, a great adventure, a great privilege, I would not trade a single moment,” Fiorina said Wednesday.

Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard who was once named the “most powerful woman in business” by Fortune magazine, appeared to win handily in Orange County, but didn’t seem to fare as well statewide. A first-time candidate, Fiorina ran a mostly mistake-free campaign, but refused to move to the political center after a hard-fought Republican primary.

Fiorina ran almost exclusively on jobs and the economy but was plagued by criticism that she laid off tens of thousands of workers at HP.

"I think if we had a stronger candidate at the top of the ticket (instead of Republican gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman), Carly would win," said GOP activist Mike Schroeder. "I don't think she's going to."

Early on in the campaign, polling showed that Boxer was vulnerable, with favorable ratings for the senator as low as 38 percent, according to one Field poll. In fact, prior to the three-way Republican primary, polling by the Public Policy Institute of California found that any of the GOP candidates – Fiorina, former U.S. Rep. Tom Campbell and Orange County Assemblyman Chuck DeVore – had a legitimate shot of unseating Boxer.

“I really just want to get Barbara Boxer out of the U.S. Senate position,” said Gail Badalian, 49, of Villa Park after casting her ballot Tuesday afternoon, reflecting a sentiment shared by many Republican voters. “I hate everything she does and says.”

But California voters on Tuesday appeared to show that even in a high-water year for Republicans they remain firmly in the Democratic camp. In the waning days of the campaign, Boxer unleashed an ad featuring laid off HP workers blasting Fiorina for her management style and labeling her another greedy CEO.

Mike Martin, a Republican precinct chairman from Irvine, said Boxer successfully painted Fiorina as "in it for herself" by making an issue of 30,000 layoffs when she ran HP.

"The top issue in this election is jobs," said his wife, Judith Martin.

Meanwhile, Fiorina was forced off the campaign trail during the crucial final week of the campaign because of an infection related to her recent breast cancer reconstructive surgery. Fiorina's aliment did not appear serious – she resumed her busy campaign schedule after spending one night in the hospital to receive antibiotics – but speculation was rampant that it would impact the race.

By the end of October, polls showed Boxer pulling ahead, but as returns trickled in Tuesday evening, Fiorina remained close. After initially trailing Boxer, Fiorina pulled ahead in statewide returns a little before 10 p.m., but fell back again around 11 p.m.

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